Patents by Inventor Hideki Uochi

Hideki Uochi has filed for patents to protect the following inventions. This listing includes patent applications that are pending as well as patents that have already been granted by the United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO).

  • Patent number: 10446693
    Abstract: By using a conductive layer including Cu as a long lead wiring, increase in wiring resistance is suppressed. Further, the conductive layer including Cu is provided in such a manner that it does not overlap with the oxide semiconductor layer in which a channel region of a TFT is formed, and is surrounded by insulating layers including silicon nitride, whereby diffusion of Cu can be prevented; thus, a highly reliable semiconductor device can be manufactured. Specifically, a display device which is one embodiment of a semiconductor device can have high display quality and operate stably even when the size or definition thereof is increased.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 2, 2018
    Date of Patent: October 15, 2019
    Assignee: Semiconductor Energy Laboratory Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Shunpei Yamazaki, Jun Koyama, Masahiro Takahashi, Hideyuki Kishida, Akiharu Miyanaga, Junpei Sugao, Hideki Uochi, Yasuo Nakamura
  • Publication number: 20190302501
    Abstract: It is an object of the present invention to apply a sufficient electrical field to a liquid crystal material in a horizontal electrical field liquid crystal display device typified by an FFS type. In a horizontal electrical field liquid crystal display, an electrical field is applied to a liquid crystal material right above a common electrode and a pixel electrode using plural pairs of electrodes rather than one pair of electrodes. One pair of electrodes includes a comb-shaped common electrode and a comb-shaped pixel electrode. Another pair of electrodes includes a common electrode provided in a pixel portion and the comb-shaped pixel electrode.
    Type: Application
    Filed: June 10, 2019
    Publication date: October 3, 2019
    Inventors: Hajime KIMURA, Hideki UOCHI
  • Patent number: 10367006
    Abstract: A display device including an oxide semiconductor, a protective circuit and the like having appropriate structures and a small occupied area is necessary. The protective circuit is formed using a non-linear element which includes a gate insulating film covering a gate electrode; a first oxide semiconductor layer which is over the gate insulating layer and overlaps with the gate electrode; and a first wiring layer and a second wiring layer each of which is formed by stacking a conductive layer and a second oxide semiconductor layer and whose end portions are over the first oxide semiconductor layer and overlap with the gate electrode. The gate electrode of the non-linear element is connected to a scan line or a signal line, the first wiring layer or the second wiring layer of the non-linear element is directly connected to the gate electrode layer so as to apply potential of the gate electrode.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 9, 2017
    Date of Patent: July 30, 2019
    Assignee: Semiconductor Energy Laboratory Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Shunpei Yamazaki, Kengo Akimoto, Shigeki Komori, Hideki Uochi, Tomoya Futamura, Takahiro Kasahara
  • Patent number: 10324347
    Abstract: It is an object of the present invention to apply a sufficient electrical field to a liquid crystal material in a horizontal electrical field liquid crystal display device typified by an FFS type. In a horizontal electrical field liquid crystal display, an electrical field is applied to a liquid crystal material right above a common electrode and a pixel electrode using plural pairs of electrodes rather than one pair of electrodes. One pair of electrodes includes a comb-shaped common electrode and a comb-shaped pixel electrode. Another pair of electrodes includes a common electrode provided in a pixel portion and the comb-shaped pixel electrode.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 20, 2018
    Date of Patent: June 18, 2019
    Assignee: Semiconductor Energy Laboratory Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Hajime Kimura, Hideki Uochi
  • Publication number: 20190172847
    Abstract: A protective circuit includes a non-linear element, which includes a gate electrode, a gate insulating layer covering the gate electrode, a pair of first and second wiring layers whose end portions overlap with the gate electrode over the gate insulating layer and in which a second oxide semiconductor layer and a conductive layer are stacked, and a first oxide semiconductor layer which overlaps with at least the gate electrode and which is in contact with the gate insulating layer, side face portions and part of top face portions of the conductive layer and side face portions of the second oxide semiconductor layer in the first wiring layer and the second wiring layer. Over the gate insulating layer, oxide semiconductor layers with different properties are bonded to each other, whereby stable operation can be performed as compared with Schottky junction. Thus, the junction leakage can be decreased and the characteristics of the non-linear element can be improved.
    Type: Application
    Filed: January 29, 2019
    Publication date: June 6, 2019
    Inventors: Shunpei YAMAZAKI, Kengo AKIMOTO, Shigeki KOMORI, Hideki UOCHI, Tomoya FUTAMURA, Takahiro KASAHARA
  • Publication number: 20190162998
    Abstract: It is an object of the present invention to apply a sufficient electrical field to a liquid crystal material in a horizontal electrical field liquid crystal display device typified by an FFS type. In a horizontal electrical field liquid crystal display, an electrical field is applied to a liquid crystal material right above a common electrode and a pixel electrode using plural pairs of electrodes rather than one pair of electrodes. One pair of electrodes includes a comb-shaped common electrode and a comb-shaped pixel electrode. Another pair of electrodes includes a common electrode provided in a pixel portion and the comb-shaped pixel electrode.
    Type: Application
    Filed: August 20, 2018
    Publication date: May 30, 2019
    Inventors: Hajime KIMURA, Hideki UOCHI
  • Patent number: 10290742
    Abstract: It is an object to provide a semiconductor device typified by a display device having a favorable display quality, in which parasitic resistance generated in a connection portion between a semiconductor layer and an electrode is suppressed and an adverse effect such as voltage drop, a defect in signal wiring to a pixel, a defect in grayscale, and the like due to wiring resistance are prevented. In order to achieve the above object, a semiconductor device according to the present invention may have a structure where a wiring with low resistance is connected to a thin film transistor in which a source electrode and a drain electrode that include metal with high oxygen affinity are connected to an oxide semiconductor layer with a suppressed impurity concentration. In addition, the thin film transistor including the oxide semiconductor may be surrounded by insulating films to be sealed.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 10, 2017
    Date of Patent: May 14, 2019
    Assignee: Semiconductor Energy Laboratory Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Shunpei Yamazaki, Jun Koyama, Masahiro Takahashi, Hideyuki Kishida, Akiharu Miyanaga, Yasuo Nakamura, Junpei Sugao, Hideki Uochi
  • Patent number: 10254607
    Abstract: In order to take advantage of the properties of a display device including an oxide semiconductor, a protective circuit and the like having appropriate structures and a small occupied area are necessary. The protective circuit is formed using a non-linear element which includes a gate insulating film covering a gate electrode; a first oxide semiconductor layer over the gate insulating film; a channel protective layer covering a region which overlaps with a channel formation region of the first oxide semiconductor layer; and a first wiring layer and a second wiring layer each of which is formed by stacking a conductive layer and a second oxide semiconductor layer and over the first oxide semiconductor layer. The gate electrode is connected to a scan line or a signal line, the first wiring layer or the second wiring layer is directly connected to the gate electrode.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 8, 2018
    Date of Patent: April 9, 2019
    Assignee: Semiconductor Energy Laboratory Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Shunpei Yamazaki, Kengo Akimoto, Shigeki Komori, Hideki Uochi, Tomoya Futamura, Takahiro Kasahara
  • Patent number: 10236303
    Abstract: A protective circuit includes a non-linear element, which includes a gate electrode, a gate insulating layer covering the gate electrode, a pair of first and second wiring layers whose end portions overlap with the gate electrode over the gate insulating layer and in which a second oxide semiconductor layer and a conductive layer are stacked, and a first oxide semiconductor layer which overlaps with at least the gate electrode and which is in contact with the gate insulating layer, side face portions and part of top face portions of the conductive layer and side face portions of the second oxide semiconductor layer in the first wiring layer and the second wiring layer. Over the gate insulating layer, oxide semiconductor layers with different properties are bonded to each other, whereby stable operation can be performed as compared with Schottky junction. Thus, the junction leakage can be decreased and the characteristics of the non-linear element can be improved.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 29, 2014
    Date of Patent: March 19, 2019
    Assignee: Semiconductor Energy Laboratory Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Shunpei Yamazaki, Kengo Akimoto, Shigeki Komori, Hideki Uochi, Tomoya Futamura, Takahiro Kasahara
  • Patent number: 10236387
    Abstract: In a logic circuit including transistors with the same conductivity, a reduction in output voltage is prevented with use of at least three transistors and a capacitor. With use of an oxide semiconductor in a semiconductor layer of the transistor, a logic circuit with high output voltage and high withstand voltage is achieved. With use of the logic circuit, a semiconductor device with high output voltage and high withstand voltage is achieved.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 12, 2016
    Date of Patent: March 19, 2019
    Assignee: Semiconductor Energy Laboratory Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Yutaka Shionoiri, Shuhei Nagatsuka, Hideki Uochi
  • Publication number: 20190081031
    Abstract: A protective circuit includes a non-linear element which includes a gate electrode, a gate insulating layer covering the gate electrode, a first oxide semiconductor layer overlapping with the gate electrode over the gate insulating layer, a channel protective layer overlapping with a channel formation region of the first oxide semiconductor layer, and a pair of a first wiring layer and a second wiring layer whose end portions overlap with the gate electrode over the channel protective layer and in which a conductive layer and a second oxide semiconductor layer are stacked. Over the gate insulating layer, oxide semiconductor layers with different properties are bonded to each other, whereby stable operation can be performed as compared with Schottky junction. Thus, the junction leakage can be reduced and the characteristics of the non-linear element can be improved.
    Type: Application
    Filed: November 13, 2018
    Publication date: March 14, 2019
    Inventors: Shunpei YAMAZAKI, Kengo AKIMOTO, Shigeki KOMORI, Hideki UOCHI, Tomoya FUTAMURA, Takahiro KASAHARA
  • Patent number: 10229904
    Abstract: A protective circuit includes a non-linear element which includes a gate electrode, a gate insulating layer covering the gate electrode, a first oxide semiconductor layer overlapping with the gate electrode over the gate insulating layer, a channel protective layer overlapping with a channel formation region of the first oxide semiconductor layer, and a pair of a first wiring layer and a second wiring layer whose end portions overlap with the gate electrode over the channel protective layer and in which a conductive layer and a second oxide semiconductor layer are stacked. Over the gate insulating layer, oxide semiconductor layers with different properties are bonded to each other, whereby stable operation can be performed as compared with Schottky junction. Thus, the junction leakage can be reduced and the characteristics of the non-linear element can be improved.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 30, 2015
    Date of Patent: March 12, 2019
    Assignee: Semiconductor Energy Laboratory Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Shunpei Yamazaki, Kengo Akimoto, Shigeki Komori, Hideki Uochi, Tomoya Futamura, Takahiro Kasahara
  • Patent number: 10203571
    Abstract: It is an object of the present invention to provide a liquid crystal display device which has a wide viewing angle and less color-shift depending on an angle at which a display screen is seen and can display an image favorably recognized both outdoors in sunlight and dark indoors (or outdoors at night). The liquid crystal display device includes a first portion where display is performed by transmission of light and a second portion where display is performed by reflection of light. Further, a liquid crystal layer includes a liquid crystal molecule which rotates parallel to an electrode plane when a potential difference is generated between two electrodes of a liquid crystal element provided below the liquid crystal layer.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 30, 2017
    Date of Patent: February 12, 2019
    Assignee: Semiconductor Energy Laboratory Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Hajime Kimura, Hideki Uochi
  • Publication number: 20190027640
    Abstract: An object is to provide a semiconductor device including a thin film transistor with excellent electrical characteristics and high reliability and a method for manufacturing the semiconductor device with high mass productivity. A main point is to form a low-resistance oxide semiconductor layer as a source or drain region after forming a drain or source electrode layer over a gate insulating layer and to form an oxide semiconductor film thereover as a semiconductor layer. It is preferable that an oxygen-excess oxide semiconductor layer be used as a semiconductor layer and an oxygen-deficient oxide semiconductor layer be used as a source region and a drain region.
    Type: Application
    Filed: September 25, 2018
    Publication date: January 24, 2019
    Inventors: Shunpei YAMAZAKI, Kengo AKIMOTO, Shigeki KOMORI, Hideki UOCHI
  • Patent number: 10187596
    Abstract: To provide a solid-state imaging device with short image-capturing duration. A first photodiode in a pixel in an n-th row and an m-th column is connected to a second photodiode in a pixel in an (n+1)-th row and the m-th column through a transistor. The first photodiode and the second photodiode receive light concurrently, the potential in accordance with the amount of received light is held in a pixel in the n-th row and the m-th column, and the potential in accordance with the amount of received light is held in a pixel in the (n+1)-th row and the m-th column without performing a reset operation. Then, each potential is read out. Under a large amount of light, either the first photodiode or the second photodiode is used.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 31, 2017
    Date of Patent: January 22, 2019
    Assignee: Semiconductor Energy Laboratory Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Yoshiyuki Kurokawa, Hideki Uochi
  • Patent number: 10181545
    Abstract: An object is to provide a semiconductor device including a thin film transistor with excellent electrical characteristics and high reliability and a method for manufacturing the semiconductor device with high mass productivity. A main point is to form a low-resistance oxide semiconductor layer as a source or drain region after forming a drain or source electrode layer over a gate insulating layer and to form an oxide semiconductor film thereover as a semiconductor layer. It is preferable that an oxygen-excess oxide semiconductor layer be used as a semiconductor layer and an oxygen-deficient oxide semiconductor layer be used as a source region and a drain region.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 5, 2012
    Date of Patent: January 15, 2019
    Assignee: SEMICONDUCTOR ENERGY LABORATORY CO., LTD.
    Inventors: Shunpei Yamazaki, Kengo Akimoto, Shigeki Komori, Hideki Uochi
  • Publication number: 20180350998
    Abstract: By using a conductive layer including Cu as a long lead wiring, increase in wiring resistance is suppressed. Further, the conductive layer including Cu is provided in such a manner that it does not overlap with the oxide semiconductor layer in which a channel region of a TFT is formed, and is surrounded by insulating layers including silicon nitride, whereby diffusion of Cu can be prevented; thus, a highly reliable semiconductor device can be manufactured. Specifically, a display device which is one embodiment of a semiconductor device can have high display quality and operate stably even when the size or definition thereof is increased.
    Type: Application
    Filed: August 2, 2018
    Publication date: December 6, 2018
    Inventors: Shunpei YAMAZAKI, Jun KOYAMA, Masahiro TAKAHASHI, Hideyuki KISHIDA, Akiharu MIYANAGA, Junpei SUGAO, Hideki UOCHI, Yasuo NAKAMURA
  • Publication number: 20180315779
    Abstract: A display device includes a pixel portion in which a pixel electrode layer is arranged in a matrix, and an inverted staggered thin film transistor having a combination of at least two kinds of oxide semiconductor layers with different amounts of oxygen is provided corresponding to the pixel electrode layer. In the periphery of the pixel portion in this display device, a pad portion is provided to be electrically connected to a common electrode layer formed on a counter substrate through a conductive layer made of the same material as the pixel electrode layer. One objection of our invention to prevent a defect due to separation of a thin film in various kinds of display devices is realized, by providing a structure suitable for a pad portion provided in a display panel.
    Type: Application
    Filed: June 21, 2018
    Publication date: November 1, 2018
    Inventors: Shunpei YAMAZAKI, Kengo AKIMOTO, Shigeki KOMORI, Hideki UOCHI, Rihito WADA, Yoko CHIBA
  • Patent number: 10074646
    Abstract: A protective circuit includes a non-linear element, which further includes a gate electrode, a gate insulating layer covering the gate electrode, a pair of first and second wiring layers whose end portions overlap with the gate electrode over the gate insulating layer and in which a conductive layer and a second oxide semiconductor layer are stacked, and a first oxide semiconductor layer which overlaps with at least the gate electrode and which is in contact with side face portions of the gate insulating layer and the conductive layer of the first wiring layer and the second wiring layer and a side face portion and a top face portion of the second oxide semiconductor layer. Over the gate insulating layer, oxide semiconductor layers with different properties are bonded to each other, whereby stable operation can be performed as compared with Schottky junction. Thus, the junction leakage can be decreased and the characteristics of the non-linear element can be improved.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 10, 2016
    Date of Patent: September 11, 2018
    Assignee: Semiconductor Energy Laboratory Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Shunpei Yamazaki, Kengo Akimoto, Shigeki Komori, Hideki Uochi, Tomoya Futamura, Takahiro Kasahara
  • Patent number: 10054830
    Abstract: It is an object of the present invention to apply a sufficient electrical field to a liquid crystal material in a horizontal electrical field liquid crystal display device typified by an FFS type. In a horizontal electrical field liquid crystal display, an electrical field is applied to a liquid crystal material right above a common electrode and a pixel electrode using plural pairs of electrodes rather than one pair of electrodes. One pair of electrodes includes a comb-shaped common electrode and a comb-shaped pixel electrode. Another pair of electrodes includes a common electrode provided in a pixel portion and the comb-shaped pixel electrode.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 20, 2018
    Date of Patent: August 21, 2018
    Assignee: Semiconductor Energy Laboratory Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Hajime Kimura, Hideki Uochi